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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28414113">dreaming of sharing worlds</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hologramwithyou/pseuds/hologramwithyou'>hologramwithyou</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band), TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, M/M, Social Media AU, Street Racing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:50:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,364</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28414113</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hologramwithyou/pseuds/hologramwithyou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>a group of friends navigates student life and personal relationships in Neo City as they make their dreams come true.</p>
<p>(a social media au)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Jeon Jungkook, Kim Namjoon | RM/Min Yoongi | Suga, Kim Seokjin | Jin/Moon Taeil, Kim Taehyung | V/Park Jimin, Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Nakamoto Yuta/Qian Kun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. a start</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I've just realized this is really hard to read if you're on mobile so here's the twitter link if you'd rather read it there :) </p>
<p>https://twitter.com/neobeyondtheCT/status/1340937448566583296?s=20</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span class="u"> <strong>July, before the school year starts</strong> </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>💙 = Jungkook</p>
<p>
  
</p>
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<p>💙 = Johnny</p>
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<p>💙 = Seokjin</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
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<p> </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
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<p>In the end, they manage to avoid having the party at Seokjin’s apartment.</p>
<p>Yoongi’s older brother graciously agrees to host their dinner in the private room of his restaurant <em>Moonlight</em>, as well as provide all kinds of side dishes for their veritable feast. Jin manages to wrangle Yoongi, Taeil, and Doyoung into helping him, working tirelessly in the hours leading up to the dinner to make sure that the private room’s kitchen is prepared to receive all the dishes and drinks their friends are bringing. They decorate as well, hanging a banner that has all of their university ID photos on it, thanks to Yuta and Doyoung’s connections in student government, and photos of the high schoolers that Seokjin pilfered off their Instagram accounts.</p>
<p>He’s the last to leave, telling the others and his boyfriend to duck out early so they have time to get ready. By the time he thanks Yoongi’s brother yet again for helping them on such short notice, it’s three hours to dinner and the chef is finishing up with the last diners. He walks to the subway station that will drop him two minutes from his humble home, enjoying the unseasonably crisp evening weather. Neo City is beautiful, even if Seokjin’s heart longs for the comforts of Seoul often. It’s not so bad, though. His own brother lives here, as do most of his closest friends and the person he loves. </p>
<p>The two cities aren’t that different at all, in retrospect; both are massive and people-filled, concrete jungles with pockets of beautiful greenery that remind him of the paintings his grandmother used to make at her small countryside home during festive times. They aren't the same, though. Whereas Seoul is firmly Korean, Neo City is firmly global. Everywhere he turns, he finds new languages, new cuisines, and music in every tongue. The skyscrapers that dominate the city skyline all bear foreign names and the city’s ports are filled with people and cargo arriving from every corner of the globe constantly.</p>
<p>He steps onto a relatively empty subway car and pulls out his phone, groaning at the red “48” displayed over his messaging app. Every single chat is active, and he’s momentarily glad he keeps the device off vibration mode, lest it overheats. Since he and Taeil have started dating, Seokjin’s social life has become much richer, but also much more draining.</p>
<p>As he waits to be carried home, he thinks about how he left Seoul to strike out on his own in a city known for taking people's dreams and crushing them like hard candy cracking under a heavy boot. He refused his brother’s help for as long as he could, but eventually found that the loneliness was worse than the difficulty of acclimating. He had so few people to call on in those early days. Eventually, his friends made the trek out of Seoul as well, and that made all the difference. They clung to each other in those first few years, especially once Jungkook joined them. They were only seven for a long time, supporting each other’s dreams and working hard. Eventually, their group grew.</p>
<p>It was easy to welcome Taeil’s friends into the fold. Jungkook and Jaehyun knew each other from being roommates in their first year, and the rest of them shared departments and majors, seeing each other in class frequently. By the time he fell in love with the only underclassman ballsy enough to ask him out, he was already planning to expand his family dinners to far more table settings, with or without the push of a relationship. Now, he’s playing host to 30-plus students who all look to him as a sort of substitute parental guide. </p>
<p>He walks briskly down the street to his second-floor walk-up and smiles widely as he hears Taeil’s unmistakable Mariah Carey impression down the hall. The neighbors haven’t complained yet, possibly because they love the younger’s voice as much as he does. He toes off his shoes, leaves his coat on the chipping coat rack, and follows the angel voice all the way to the bathroom. He doesn’t mind sharing a shower. He doesn’t mind sharing anything these days.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
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<p>Dinner is an all-out <em>affair</em><em>.</em></p>
<p>By popular vote and demand (mostly just Johnny advocating loudly and bribing the younger kids to support his position), everyone dresses in their best formalwear. Taeyong supervises the group chats militantly, making sure everything and everyone is ready. He’s not one to go with the flow when there’s so many people to look after.</p>
<p>This is only his second time attending Jin’s yearly dinner and it’s the same for a lot of his friends. For the freshmen, it’s especially overwhelming. Many of them have never been so far away from home before. Here they are, in a bustling city, full of new people, and pushed into a very competitive school environment. Taeyong remembers how difficult it was for him, the pressure and the struggle to find normalcy. That’s why he’s grateful to have been brought into the fold of Seokjin’s group. </p>
<p>He smiles at Yoongi as the older lets them into the restaurant, commenting on how they’re the first ones to arrive. Yoongi looks sharper than ever, in a full suit rather than his usual hoodie and sweats uniform. (It’s not like anyone cares what they wear in the music studios, Taeyong should know.) He directs Yuta and Sicheng to drop off the alcohol in the coolers that Yoongi points out, and allows Yukhei to take a pot brimming with hot noodles from him carefully.</p>
<p>“I have another still in the car, I’ll be right back.”</p>
<p>By the time he gets the second pot and the last bag of alcohol Yuta bought out of the trunk of his piece of junk car he bought off Craigslist, Ten is at his side. The dancer twirls, looking extremely suave for someone who probably had to change into his sparkly suit in one of the dance studios.</p>
<p>“We brought extra food, hyung!” he smiles cheerily, waving at least four bags of what smells like garlic naan and tikka masala in Taeyong’s face. Shotaro kindly takes the bag of alcohol from Taeyong, already carrying two others which no doubt hold Ten’s favorite green apple vodka that he’s not legally allowed to drink yet. Jaehyun greets him pleasantly after locking his own car and takes the steaming pot off his hands despite his protests that he can carry it himself.</p>
<p>Jimin, Taeyong’s fellow Animal Biology double major, offers him a quick greeting and allows him to take one of two bags of fruit juice and seltzer from him.</p>
<p>“Just how much alcohol are we drinking tonight?” he asks.</p>
<p>Jimin winks cheekily. “After my meeting with the department advisor about my Avian Physiology elective, I’m ready to get white girl wasted.”</p>
<p>Taeyong shudders. “Sounds terrible.”</p>
<p>“Tell me about it.”</p>
<p>Seokjin shows up then, looking flushed but dapper and apologizing for taking longer than expected. They all wave him off, not upset in the least. </p>
<p>By the time Taeyong finds empty counterspace in the kitchen to drop off the drinks, Seokjin is directing Yukhei and Mark into the kitchen with even more food. Kun and Taeil eventually arrive with their passengers in tow and that's when the evening starts. </p>
<p>Taeyong does a full lap of the room, greeting friends and strangers alike. The photo wall with all their student ID photos makes him cringe when he passes it. He looks like a baby dear caught in headlights, bubblegum pink hair and all, in his photo from freshman year. Others don't seem to mind their own youthful gazes, taking cute selfies to put online with their former (or current) selves. </p>
<p> </p>
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</p>
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</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Admittedly, things run much more smoothly than he anticipated. Donghyuck and Chenle (begrudgingly) agree to put their portable karaoke mics away until after dinner and Doyoung, Jungwoo, and Renjun diligently make sure the food being reheated in the kitchen doesn’t burn. He allows Ten to pull him over to one of the tables—there’s no possible way they could fit thirty-five people at a single table—for a quick chat. He laughs along to Hoseok’s story about children at the dance workshop he taught over the summer at the studio they work at, thinking of how much fun this year will be once they get back into dance mode. Eventually, he and a few others get up almost immediately to help once Renjun announces that the food is ready.</p>
<p>Truthfully, Taeyong did not expect that there would be enough food, despite Kun and Seokjin’s penchant for cooking for a small army. Jungkook and Jungwoo alone could finish off an entire tray of food each with room left for dessert. Luckily, they planned accordingly and the food is almost as bounteous as the alcohol. </p>
<p>All the hyungs agree to allow the youngest kids to serve themselves first, and it becomes a game of going according to birth year. Jisung of course pouts at not being first since Kai is younger, but then laughs as Taehyun has the bright idea that they should serve themselves at the same time with their arms intertwined just for fun. This of course makes the task ten times harder than it should be and causes some good-natured quips about brats taking forever to get some food. Ten complains that Kun will hog all the steamed egg if he gets to go first out of their same age group and is immediately pinched in the side by both Jaehyun and Sicheng.</p>
<p>Eventually, everyone gets down to the business of eating and conversation hits a lull.  Johnny and Jaehyun’s shared playlist wafts from the bluetooth speakers, filling the gaps when the sounds of slurping and chewing subside periodically. The biggest eaters in the group go for seconds and thirds, but Taeyong is content to wait for dessert, a lovely sheet cake with “Happy New (School) Year!!!” written in alternating neon green and purple icing.</p>
<p>When Taeil raises an eyebrow at the color scheme, Sicheng sheepishly admits that he and Mark couldn’t choose between the two school colors and so chose to have both. There’s five different flavors of ice cream to accompany the cake, as well as an assortment of toppings courtesy of Jungkook, who kindly offered to chip in for dessert when he found out what it was.</p>
<p>Once it seems like everyone is ready to cut the cake (and the messiest eaters are scrubbing frantically at their formalwear), Seokjin clinks the glass of his single vodka tonic of the night and clears his throat.</p>
<p>“You guys know I’m not particularly great at public speaking, usually that’s Namjoon’s job, but I’d just like to say that I’m so thankful to have such a great big group of friends and juniors. Everyone in this room is a special part of this little niche we’ve carved out for ourselves here in Neo City. We would not be the same without you.”</p>
<p>He looks around the room.</p>
<p>“When I started my first ‘start of the school year dinner,’ the only other person who attended was Yoongi, and he spent the night complaining that my kimchi jjigae did not taste like his mom’s back home.”</p>
<p>Everyone laughs at this and Yoongi blushes, but he still manages to shrug nonchalantly in that suave way of his.</p>
<p>“Over the years, more of my friends came to dinner, and eventually new friends showed up, including the cutie to my right—” he winks in Taeil’s direction, who stops mid slurp of his drink to give two thumbs up. Ten snorts drunkenly from the next table over and Doyoung cringes.</p>
<p>“Now, we’re a bigger group, but I’ll still say the same thing I told Yoongi years ago…”</p>
<p>He pauses, as if searching for the words. </p>
<p>“It’s hard to build a place for yourself in the world. This city is not easy to navigate, especially when you’re homesick and tired and just want to hear a familiar language or eat a bowl of your mom’s soup. But you’ll always find support here if you need it. It doesn’t matter who or what you need, you’ll find it here, with me, and with the people you see around you. Friendship is such a wonderful thing to have, so I hope you all allow yourselves this small gift and never feel that you have to do things alone. You’ll always have a seat at this table.” He finishes with a radiant smile, and even the most stoic among them beam proudly. If anyone hears the younger kids sniffling, they’re kind enough to pretend they don’t.</p>
<p>He claps along with everyone else and then feels all eyes turn to him. Sweat beads at his temple despite the AC chilling the room.</p>
<p>Back when he was chosen as the leader of NCTU’s first collaborative college-preparation program with SM High School, he was expected to give various speeches to his cohort. That group, NCT 127, was small, only ten students in all, but they still tend to see him as their leader, as do the other SM High alumni.</p>
<p>He stands on shaky legs and sighs, feeling only a little less nervous when Johnny and Yuta both smile calmly at him.</p>
<p>“Jin hyung said everything that needed to be said, I think. I just want to remind you all, especially those of you who are younger—"</p>
<p>He smiles at Jisung, Taehyun, and Kai, the three high school seniors who made the incredible decision to leave Seoul in order to be part of NCT High School’s first senior class. They’ll be living in the city for the next five years, at least, once they matriculate at NCTU.</p>
<p>“—a year can pass extremely quickly. Today, you’re starting something new, but you might wake up tomorrow to find that the year has gone by. So don’t waste your time. If you want to do something, do it. If you want to change your major five times,” he winks at Yukhei, who grins brightly, “or sign up for a million clubs while you wait to find the one that’s right for you, do it. There’s no right or wrong as long as you’re not hurting others. You decide what happens to you from here on out. And you’re not alone, you have friends here to help you. But don’t wake up a year from now wishing you’d taken more chances. Take those chances now. Cheers!”</p>
<p>He falls back into his seat, face heated but happy.</p>
<p>Johnny stands up next, looking for all the world like a Hollywood actor about to give an acceptance speech, and pauses thoughtfully. In a flash of sudden coordination, he shrugs off his suit jacket and tie in seconds and yells “TIME TO PARTYYYYYYY!” It might be Mark or Kunhang who yell out "skrrrt skrrrrt!" immediately afterward in agreement. Taeyong laughs even as he flushes from secondhand embarrassment.</p>
<p>The chaos that ensues is legendary, even by their usual standards.</p>
<p> </p>
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<p>The night wears on and shit gets a little strange, to be honest.   </p>
<p>Yeonjun convinces all the freshmen to participate in a tiktok challenge that leaves half of them on the floor dying of laughter. Doyoung, egged on by a mischievous Ten, engages in a fierce lipsync battle with Yoongi and Jungwoo, fighting not for the $15 convenience store coupon Ten promises the winner but for the bragging rights alone. Taeyong sits by Taeil’s side, content to watch the older man teach the high schoolers how to play poker with a deck of card mysteriously pulled out of somewhere. Johnny and the drunks he's babysitting talk loudly about everything from the Marvel Universe to the difficulties of capstone projects, occasionally shrieking with laughter. It's loud and vibrant and fun.</p>
<p>All around him, people dance and laugh. There are drinks, there are dramatics, there's even one of those Supreme brand money guns that Yangyang aims at Ten while the other does his best to imitate a scene from <em>Step Up. </em>It doesn’t last forever, of course. They do have the start of classes on Monday, after all. Luckily, they're a good bunch with good heads on their shoulders. Despite the sheer debauchery and the fact that more people are absolutely hammered than there should be considering the legal drinking age, they clean up quite efficiently.</p>
<p>Leftovers are divvied up and everyone’s ride home is accounted for, except for the high school trio who are sleeping over at Seokjin’s. All in all, Taeyong ends up back home in his bed by 3:30am, well fed and fully exhausted. Yuta’s drunken ramblings in the bathroom hardly bother him at all.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
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<p> </p>
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<p>
  <span class="u"><strong>August 21st, the school year starts</strong> </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>  </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>  </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>  </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>💙 = Doyoung</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>💙 = Jimin</p>
<p>
  <strong>  </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>💙 = Hoseok</p>
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</p>
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<p>💙 = Jisung</p>
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  <strong>  </strong>
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<p>💙 = Doyoung</p>
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<p>💙 = Jimin</p>
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<p>💙 = Doyoung</p>
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<p>💙 = Ten</p>
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<p> </p>
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<p>💙 = Ten</p>
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<p>💙 = Jungwoo</p>
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<p> </p>
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<p>💙 = Sungchan</p>
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</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>💙 = Yuta</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>💙 = Yuta</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>💙 = Kun</p>
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<p>💙 = ???</p>
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<p>“He’s gonna fucking hate me, hyung.” Ten’s breathing is labored, like he’s on the cusp of a full-blown panic attack.</p>
<p>“He won’t, Ten,” Yuta assures him.</p>
<p>“How do you know?”</p>
<p>“Because he’s way over that relationship. He’ll understand it was a mistake.”</p>
<p>“God, I’m such a fucking mess.”</p>
<p>“You’re not, you’re a human being.”</p>
<p>“Did you know Taeyong hadn’t gone out on a date with Johnny because of me? How fucking pathetic am I that my best friends couldn’t date because they wanted to spare my feelings?”</p>
<p>“Their choices were their own, you can’t blame yourself for that.”</p>
<p>Ten isn’t listening. “Then the guy I dated to get over my longtime crush dumped me because he ‘didn’t see a future’ with me,” he sighs.</p>
<p>“Jack was a dick, fuck that guy. No one liked him, you’re better off.”</p>
<p>“And now I’ve gone and fucked my friend’s ex. What the hell is wrong with me?”</p>
<p>“Listen to me, there’s nothing wrong with you, Ten. We all make mistakes,” Yuta emphasizes.</p>
<p>“Doyoung’s gonna hate me,” the younger cries.</p>
<p>“He won’t. He’ll be too busy hating me.”</p>
<p>“Why would he hate you? What did you do?”</p>
<p>“We had a...thing over summer.”</p>
<p>“What?! What kind of thing?”</p>
<p>“The kind of thing where two friends fuck without clarifying the relationship first.”</p>
<p>“Did you...did you want it to mean something more?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I did.”</p>
<p>Ten is silent for a long time, enough that Yuta thinks he’s hung up on the call.</p>
<p>Then:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Then why were you all over Kun last night?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. live fast, die young, neo boys do it well</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i just really wanted to write a race scene without actually having to get into the racing bit</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>💙 = Taeyong</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  
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</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>(Doyoung's phone)</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>💙 = Yuta</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  
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</p><p> </p><p>
  
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</p><p> </p><p>💙 = Kun</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>💙 = Ten</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  
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</p><p> </p><p>💙 = Yuta</p><p>
  
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</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Sicheng!” Jungwoo greets.</p><p>“Hi Woo, thanks for coming! I really didn’t feel like facing the crowds alone.” Sicheng smiles gratefully.</p><p>“No problem, I’m actually in need of a new windbreaker. Who are you buying a gift for?”</p><p>Sicheng bites his lip. “I think you know.”</p><p>Jungwoo sighs. “Yeah, I figured. I don’t really understand why you don’t want to tell Jae about this development, though. You’re seeing one of his best friends, shouldn’t he know?”</p><p>“Wanna come in here?” Sicheng asks, leading them into a shop. Jungwoo heads toward the winter wear in the back.</p><p>“It’s different with him, Woo. He was Jaehyun’s first friend outside of our group. Sure, he’s friends with all of us, but he was Jaehyun’s first, and they have a special bond.”</p><p>“He has other friends outside of our group, though. Yugyeom and...Mingi?” Jungwoo tries to recall.</p><p>“Mingyu. But this friendship is different. They were roommates our first year here and they do all sorts of things together. To this day, Jaehyun refuses to watch Marvel movies with anyone but him because that’s their thing.” They share a disbelieving look.</p><p>“I know, trust me. It goes both ways, though,” Sicheng muses. “They really care for each other. If Jaehyun finds out I’m seeing his closest confidant outside of Johnny…I just don’t think he’d take it well.”</p><p>He pulls out a black leather jacket. “What about this?”</p><p>“I think I’ve seen him wear something similar.”</p><p>They continue browsing, pausing to examine a purple and white geometric-patterned windbreaker.</p><p>“Definitely getting this. What about that jacket?” Jungwoo points to a mannequin wearing yellow.</p><p>“That’s the one,” Sicheng smiles, already picturing the other man wearing it. As they walk out of the shop with their purchases, Jungwoo turns to him.</p><p>“I know you think he would be angry at you for dating one of his closest friends, but you’re forgetting something.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“You’re also one of his best friends. Jae could never hate you.”</p><p>“Maybe you’re right, but I don’t want to risk it.”</p><p>“What does the birthday boy think?”</p><p>Sicheng frowns. “I haven’t told him what I’m thinking yet. I just want to keep this to myself for a bit longer.”</p><p>“That’s not fair to Jungkook, Sicheng.”</p><p>“I know.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  
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</p><p> </p><p>💙 = Yuta</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>💙 = Seokjin</p><p>
  
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</p><p> </p><p>💙 = Chenle</p><p>
  
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</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>💙 = Mark</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>💙 = Donghyuck</p><p>
  
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</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Street racing in Neo City is a really a misnomer. There’s hardly any racing on the city streets proper. In part because the Neo City police department is notoriously high-tech; crime in the city is dealt with swiftly, when it happens above ground. Mostly, though, it’s because racing in Neo City is not about speed, it’s about skill.</p><p>In the late 70s, when the began to thrive, a city inquiry brought attention to rising sea levels. The city, built barely above the rising tides, was declared at risk and subsequently raised, with the original city streets either left untouched under the new ones or turned into support tunnels. The parts of the city that lay underground became a haven for activities best done under cover of darkness, racing included.</p><p>When Yuta first came to Neo City, he knew none of this. Racing wasn’t something he’d ever considered partaking in. Tagging along with some friends one day for a hangout, he watched a bunch of skilled college kids shift into gear and drive off into the dark below. He knew then that he had to be part of this world. His first year in Neo City he worked two part time jobs and tutored as many people as he could to save for the complete overhaul of a used Evo into a car worth racing.</p><p>Few people who race in this city have Yuta’s agility and sharp senses. His ability to manipulate a car into the tightest of spaces and his quick-as-lightning reflexes became the stuff of legend. Under the instruction of a particularly talented senior named Oh Sehun, he worked his way up the racing scene until he came up against the best of the best. And he beat every single one. It was a heady rush, to be crowned victorious time and time again.</p><p>Until he came up against newbie Jung Hoseok and his flashy ride in his third year. That was when he hit a wall.Hoseok is a rarity in Neo City. Few people have ever taken the time to map out the city underground and figure out all the possible paths that lie beneath the city. Hoseok is an average-to-good racer on the best of days, but he memorized the underground like the back of his hand before he ever slid into the driver’s seat.</p><p>While Yuta won because of his skills, Hoseok won because of his innate ability to find the easiest path from point A to point B. It soon became normal for Yuta to get to the agreed upon finish line and find the other man already there. Eventually, he considered quitting altogether, seeing as his skills were no match for a person with a photographic memory for maps.</p><p>Ironically enough, he found Jung Hoseok on his doorstep after a long string of losses, looking for a deal.</p><p>“Listen, I’m not ready to give up a steady income from these races, but I have other priorities,” was Hoseok’s justification for why they should partner.</p><p>“What do you have in mind?” Yuta asked, intrigued.</p><p>For half his winnings, Hoseok was willing to pass on every bit of knowledge he had of the layout of the city below. He’d spent a lot of time down there, he said, studying and trying to find the best ways in and out. It was too good a deal to pass up.</p><p>Once again, Yuta became king, and by the end of his first semester as a junior, he and Hoseok were making more money than they knew what to do with. But Yuta, like Hoseok, had other priorities besides racing. He had no interest in spending his nights out on the streets. So, they scouted.</p><p>Yukhei was not what Yuta had in mind. A tall, big-eared human puppy with more energy than should be humanly possible—it wasn’t exactly a great first impression. But for as loud and brash as he is above ground, Yukhei somehow manages to tune in to a race with a level of focus no one would ever expect from him.</p><p>Yukhei has always been able to adapt. Back in Hong Kong, races were above ground with city lights guiding the way. In Neo City, only his headlights and the old street lamps that remain below provide any sort of visibility. His sense of direction is as keen as it was back home, though, and that counts for everything. It’s dangerous, driving a piece of mental as fast as he can with no real guidance beneath the city. No matter how many tricks Yuta has taught him or how many maps Hoseok has drawn him, there’s always that bit of fear that this will be the time he doesn’t make it out. Plenty of people have lost more than their cars during a race. But Yukhei is worth his salt, and even his fellow racers know he’s unmatched. </p><p>By the time Hoseok asked if he wanted to partner, Yukhei was in high demand with racers who wanted to start crews with the express purpose of beating Yuta and Hoseok’s unstoppable unit. It didn’t matter though, the freshman knew a winning team when he saw one; he threw in with them, and they’ve been winning together ever since.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hoseok’s non-racing car, a silver Honda Civic almost as old as Yangyang pulls up in a dark area near the dorms, precisely at 11pm. Yuta is already in the passenger seat, as is their friendly neighborhood pre-med. Jaemin smiles jovially from the backseat, carrying the first aid kit Yuta told him to prepare.</p><p>“Tallest sit in the back with Jaemin and the shortest of you will have to lay across each other’s laps. It’s only till we get to the house. “</p><p>Yangyang complains as they force him to lay across their bony knees, but they all tune him out. It doesn’t take long for them to reach their destination.</p><p>Kim Junmyeon’s house is, for lack of better phrasing, pretty fuckin’ big. It's the kind of house that Hollywood actors might try to buy for obscene amounts of money to prove they've "made it." His garage alone is probably three times bigger than a normal person’s, but that’s for a reason. As soon as Hoseok punches in the code for the gate, they drive up the steeply inclined driveway, past the circular driveway toward a side entrance to the garage.</p><p>The minute Hoseok parks inside, Yangyang hops out to inspect the various rides parked inside. Junmyeon is already there, waiting.</p><p>“Hey, hyung, where’s Sehun?” Yuta asks, greeting the older. He's wearing a pair of plaid pajamas, looking like a grandpa ready for bed. </p><p>“He’s in his room, sleeping. Said there’s no point in waking up now when he’ll see you on your way back. That’s some nice work you did, by the way,” Junmyeon speaks to Kunhang, who spends enough time in the garage working on Yukhei’s car to be familiar with everyone from the maid to the dogs that live here.</p><p>“Thanks! I’m excited to see if we can shave some time off Xuxi’s record.”</p><p>No one would ever suspect Kim Junmyeon, straight-laced junior financial analyst without a single mark on his perfect record, of facilitating one of the most illegal hobbies in Neo City for a bunch of broke college kids. Appearances truly are deceiving. </p><p>Yukhei ignores the small talk in favor of surveying his car. Junmyeon’s (really Sehun’s) collection of cars is admirable, but nothing quite beats Bebe, his electric blue Mazda RX-8. Of course, he’s biased, but he and Kunhang have been fixing her up since they were in high school. She’s special.</p><p>They bid Junmyeon goodbye after switching cars with a promise not to get in trouble (since his boyfriend is back in Canada for a bit and won’t be able to throw money around to fix problems with the authorities like he usually does for their merry band of delinquents).</p><p>Yukhei feels Bebe come alive as soon as he turns her on. He waits as Yuta’s yellow Lexus IS pulls out of the garage. Once they follow, they exit back onto Junmyeon’s quiet street. It’s twenty minutes to race time.</p><p>The minute they arrive, Hoseok hops out of Yuta’s car to talk to the guy organizing the race. Yukhei makes his way over to where the other drivers are, smirking as their eyes start to shift. His reputation preceeds him. He waves at Bambam, gives Changkyun a cheeky middle finger, and spots Bangchan talking to Felix, his crew's driver.</p><p>Honestly, Yukhei will miss having Bangchan on their crew. The dude has stitched him up (sometimes literally) quite a few times, always with a smile and some good quips. But he understands the allure of being on the same team as Felix. Not only is he some wiz kid who apparently skipped a few grades, he's moved up to the top seeds in their racing community almost as fast as Yukhei himself. Anyone would be lucky to be on his team, especially since they've also scooped up a chaebol who goes by the name Lee Know. No doubt, he's the one financing Felix's upgraded ride. </p><p>Yuta and the rest of his crew come up to the the driver side window.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> Kunhang goes over specifics of the new brake, while Yuta hands him his equipment. Trial and error has shown them that relying on cell reception underground is a practical death sentence. Yangyang tests the walkie talkie they've rigged to connect directly to Yukhei's headset with a "testing, testing." Yukhei gives the younger a thumbs up and waits for Hoseok.</span></p><p>
  <span class="Apple-converted-space">The older comes back after handling their money over to the guy in charge. "You remember what I told you, Xuxi?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="Apple-converted-space">"Drive around the base of the hill rather than heading straight down to avoid the eroded barriers and submerged tunnels." </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="Apple-converted-space">The district they're starting in is located at the bottom of a hill in the center of the city, and the base of that hill is located underground. Rather than driving straight past the hill down south like an amateur and possibly getting his car stuck in a number of flooded areas, Yukhei will have to go around the hill. It'll take him more time, but he's not willing to risk Bebe getting waterlogged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="Apple-converted-space">"Yes, and then take the tunnel on Domino St. that leads all the way south. Don't come out too soon, or you'll have to drive above ground longer. Fifth exit should be close enough to the pier."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="Apple-converted-space">"That's the finish line?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="Apple-converted-space">"Nah, Jiho says it ends at the start of the dunes, but if you go to the sixth exit you'll have to circle back. It's only four miles to the dunes from the pier. We'll try to get there as soon as possible, but you know how to avoid the cops if they get there before us."</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="Apple-converted-space">"Gotcha. See you at the finish line." They exchange a fistbump and then Hoseok sprints to Yuta's car. They never stay to watch Yukhei start the race, choosing to head toward the finish line instead, just in case there's a sting. It's happened before. They've been lucky to evade Neo City cops by the skin of their teeth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="Apple-converted-space">He watches Yuta and the rest speed off and makes his way to the line-up. Bebe's motor purrs beneath him, and he hears Yangyang in his ear a minute before the race actually starts. The clock is about to strike twelve.</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="Apple-converted-space">"You ready, ge?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="Apple-converted-space">The organizer signals the countdown. </span>
</p><p>
  <span class="Apple-converted-space">3...</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="Apple-converted-space">2...</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="Apple-converted-space">1...</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="Apple-converted-space">"Showtime." He heads into the tunnel.</span>
</p>
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